News: Publish What You Pay Anglophone Africa members meet to foster learning and accountability

August 8, 2018.

On 25 and 26 July 2018, 12 representatives of Publish What You Pay (PWYP) coalitions and member organisations 1 from Anglophone Africa met in Johannesburg, South Africa in order to foster learning and accountability across the coalition in Africa.

Objectives of the meeting

To attend a roundtable organized by the Responsible Mining Foundation to discuss the findings of the first Responsible Mining Index.

To prepare for the PWYP Global Assembly taking place in Dakar in January 2019

To consult on the PWYP global 2020-2025 strategy

Deliberations

Participants attended a roundtable discussion over one and a half days to discuss the findings of the first Responsible Mining Index (RMI), published in April 2018 by the Responsible Mining Foundation. During the meeting, PWYP members engaged on issues relating to company and government accountability for ensuring a responsible mining sector that respects human rights, sustainable economic development, the environment, the wellbeing of communities and the working conditions of labourers. Along with civil society organisations, trade unions, academics and legal specialists from across South Africa, PWYP members participated in discussions about how civil society can use the rich data provided by the RMI to inform their advocacy in their own countries and across borders.

Following the roundtable, PWYP members gathered for half a day to consult on the draft PWYP global 2020-2025 strategy and to prepare for the Global Assembly which will take place in Dakar in January 2019. PWYP members expressed their excitement at the key shifts in the draft strategy, in particular, the focus on taking into account climate change as well as the rights-based emphasis to natural resource governance, and the focus on participation and activist protection. Members provided valuable feedback on the priorities identified in the draft strategy and committed to providing further feedback online via the survey during the consultation period, which runs until 21 September 2018. Participants also committed to sharing and encouraging all member organisations in their respective coalitions to submit their feedback online, noting that this is an important opportunity for members to influence the draft strategy before it is endorsed by the Global Council and Africa Steering Committee in November, and adopted at the Global Assembly.

The PWYP International Secretariat provided an overview of the goals of the Global Assembly, and the preparations required in advance, including the selection of delegates, fundraising and nominating a candidate for the Global Council Anglophone Africa seat, in advance of the elections at the Global Assembly. PWYP members expressed a desire to work together with the International Secretariat on joint fundraising for the Global Assembly. Participants welcomed the collective leadership demonstrated by PWYP’s commitment to gender equality on the Global Council, noting that the Anglophone Africa seat will pass from a male representative to a female representative at the 2019 elections.

Conclusion

PWYP members welcomed the opportunity to meet as the Anglophone Africa bloc and expressed a desire to have more regular opportunities to do so in future, in order to foster learning and accountability across the coalition in Africa. Participants committed to sharing the information presented with all coalition members on their return and to a transparent delegate selection and Global Council nominee process between now and end September.